Small World

Built for a gated community with no thought to cost or owners associations' covenants, the custom homes for sale in Newport Beach are so ostentatious that even ex-Tyco execs would find them excessive. At $400 to $800 a square foot, these one-of-kind showcases are feats of architecture and engineering, as well as displays of the latest in construction materials and interior design. Granted, the neighborhood looks a little strange.

Wind-borne pollution from China and neighboring countries is spreading to California and other parts of the nation and Canada as a result of surging economic activity and destructive farming practices half a world away, according to new scientific studies. The research shows that a mix of pollutants, from dust to ozone to toxic chemicals, travels farther than once realized.

We Americans like to think that people the world over are, at heart, just like us. This isn't because we're a simplistic and naive people. It is part of our national faith. We are, after all, a melting pot, a country made of people from everywhere. No one faith, tribe or race created America, and no one of the above defines it. The virtues of tolerance and mutual respect--though too often betrayed--are such a part of our national faith that they are considered trite.

Small-school softball teams from the region reign supreme in the Southern Section playoffs, which begin this week. Chaminade, Village Christian and Oaks Christian highs earned No. 1 seedings in Divisions IV-VI. First-round games are Friday at 3:15 p.m. Chaminade (16-8-1), which lost to Calabasas in the Division IV final last season, will face the winner of Wednesday's wild-card game between Lompoc Cabrillo and Nordhoff. Village Christian (19-4), the Alpha League's No. 1 entry, will host Mammoth.

September 24, 2000 | GREG BRAXTON, Greg Braxton is a Times staff writer

Life is not easy for a genetically enhanced human prototype on the run in the bleak 21st century. Loss and fear and corruption seep through the world in which Max, a 20-year-old bicycle messenger, tries to survive. Possessing a wounded beauty that stops men--and women--dead in their tracks, she doesn't suffer fools lightly. She has attitude, the kind that angry teens drape themselves in for protection, and deadly martial arts skills that she's unafraid to use.

It has become increasingly apparent with the globalization of fashion that talent resides far beyond the traditional style centers of Manhattan, Milan, Paris and London. Not satisfied to wait at home to be discovered, a large number of fledgling designers from far-flung countries have come here this week to present their clothes during the premiere showcase of American spring fashions.

Don't take anything away from Tim Thompson. The pitcher with a no-frills delivery and no-nonsense countenance has compiled the most gaudy four-year won-loss record in state history. Thompson notched his 52nd career victory Wednesday when Grace Brethren High defeated Faith Baptist, 10-0, in five innings, breaking the nearly 30-year-old state record of Scott McGregor of El Segundo.

In still small-town-feeling San Diego, it's not surprising that the two men who were voted into the mayoral runoff, Dick Murphy and Ron Roberts, have much in common: Both are 57-year-old Republicans who got appointments from a mayor named Pete Wilson. Two who didn't make the runoff cutoff among the dozen candidates also first met in the San Diego of the early 1970s--but under different circumstances. As a young Bank of America employee, Peter Q.

You just never know when you are going to see people again. Dr. Daniel Stone, an internist and geriatric specialist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, used to be Amanda Susskind's doctor. Now they are running against each other in the Democratic primary of the 42nd Assembly District. Susskind said she did not change physicians because of a conflict of interest. Their doctor-patient relationship ended years ago. "It's just one of those weird coincidences," she said.